Apparatus for constructing cattle feeding pens



Dec. 26, 1967 A. B. CLEMENTS ETAL 3,3

APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCTING CATTLE FEEDING PENS Filed July 26, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet l 4 /////m W A %\\\\W/////&

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APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCTING CATTLE FEEDING PENS Filed July 26, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet Z A \\\W////A\\\\\\\\W// INVENTOR. 35 6 24/1190 flora 62 finsA/rs, 7 36:? BY 5 -h//4 z/AME //0/ 1s,J4a

VATTORNEK 1967 A. B. CLEMENTS ETAL 3,360,230

APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCTING CATTLE FEEDING PENS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed July 26, 1965 INVENTORS AARON flora 625m ATTORNEY:

44/4 5 Hana-3k 5-9 ET- Efsa United States Patent 3,360,230 APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCTING CATTLE FEEDING PENS Aaron Boyd Clements and William E. Homes, In, Phoenix, Ariz., assignors of twenty percent to E. S. Erwin, twenty percent to Cynthia C. Tubbs and twenty percent to J. S. Francis, all of Phoenix, Ariz.

Filed July 26, 1965, Ser. No. 474,842 2 Claims. (Cl. 24910) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for constructing drainage grating in a precast progressive manner in position on longitudinally extending spaced supporting curb.

This invention pertains to apparatus for constructing drainage gratings and is particularly directed to the procedure and preparation of cast floor gratings for feeding pens and the like.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide apparatus for forming drainage gratings for cattle feeding floor structures of a highly sanitary and economical character.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a unique form structure for progressively forming cast concrete or the like floor gratings.

Still another object of this invention is to provide apparatus for progressively forming a series of floor gratings for cattle feeding pens and the like which requires a minimum of effort, material, and preparation for casting the floor gratings.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved concrete form structure for the formation of a drainage and off-fall grating for an animal feeding pen structure and the like.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a sys tern of forming a plurality of troughs and to progressively form and cast gratings covering these troughs for use especially with cattle feeding pen operations and the like.

Further features and advantages of this invention will appear from a detailed description of the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of an initially graded trench to accommodate the cattle feeding grating structure of this invention.

FIG. 2 shows the curbing or supporting wall structures cast in place in the trench of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view similar to FIGS. 1 and 2 but showing the final grading operations prior to casting the floor grating structures in place.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectionaal view showing the completed grating structures cast in place above the trench structures of FIG. 3.

FIG. 4a is a general perspective view of a portion of the structure shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view showing an end elevation of the grating casting form apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the grille casting apparatus of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view on the line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 7a is a similar view to FIG. 7 but showing the operating mechanism in a released position.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view, partly broken away, on the line 8-8 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8a is a view similar to FIG. 8 but showing the operative mechanism in retracted position.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view on the line 9-9 of FIG. 6.

An an example of one embodiment of this invention,

there is shown a cattle feeding. pen floor structure which is first formed from the original ground surface 10, FIG. 1, by grading the bottom 11, side surfaces 12 and 13, and sloping surfaces 14 therein to complete the initial stage of the process of the pen floor structure. The curbing elements 16 and side walk portions 17 are then formed and poured with conventional methods. Each curb portion 16 has longitudinally extending recessed ledges 15 and 18, FIG.'2.

Having completed the supporting curbing structures 16, the areas between them are then graded out forming a new bottom 19 and sloping sides 20 in the ground as shown in FIG. 3. Sections of cast-in-place gratings 21 are then formed between and supported upon the recessed ledges 18 and bridge across between the vertical side faces 22a of the recessed ledges 18, FIG. 4.

The apparatus for forming the gratings 21 is best shown in FIGS. 5 to 9 inclusive and comprises a box-shaped frame indicated generally at 22 consisting of a top 23, sides 24, and ends 25 formed as an integral frame structure. Guided for vertical sliding movement in suitable brackets 26 formed on the inside face of the sides 24 of the frame 22 are the support and skid shoes 27, the bottom ends 28 of which are located to engage the recessed ledges 15 of the curb portions 16. The upper surfaces 29 of the shoes 27 are engaged by the cam lobe portion 30 of the cam levers 31 pivotally mounted on the pins 32 carried in the brackets 26 and sides 24 0f the frame 22. The outer ends of the cam levers 31 are pivotally connected at 33 to the side rods 34 which in turn are connected together at their ends 35 by the strip pieces 36 which are connected together by a suitable hitch pin 36a, FIG. 6. With the cam levers 31 in the position shown in FIG. 7, the high point of the cam lobe portions is bearing against the upper surface 29 of the shoes 27 so as to position the frame 22 in raised poistion relative to the recessed ledge 15. When the hitch 36a and side rods are moved to the left to the position shown in FIG. 7a, the low points of the cam lobes 30 are in engagement with the shoes 27 so that the frame 22 is in lowered position relative to the recessed ledge so that the frame may be pulled along the curbs 16 to a new casting position.

A series of core forms 37 are arranged on the frame 22 to move up and down through a series of perforations 38 formed in the top 23 of the frame 22. To this end there is provided a pair of longitudinally extending rockshafts 39 suitably journ-aled in the ends 25 of the frame 22 having lever arms 40 fixed thereto and extending upwardly with wrist pins 41 at their outer ends sliding in slotted guides 42 formed on the inside walls of the core forms 37 which are tied together by integral tie plates 43 and 44. An operating device for rocking the shafts 39 to move the core forms 37 to raised position, FIG. 8, and lowered position, FIG. 80!, comprises a longitudinally extending actuating shaft 45 suitably journaled in the ends 25 of the frame 22 hav ing fixed thereon the clevises 46 pivotally connected to the rods 47 which in turn are pivotally connected at 48 to the outer ends of the actuating arms 49 fixed to the rockshafts 39. A gear 50 is fixed to the actuating shaft 45 and is engaged by a pinion 51 carried on the crank handle shaft 52 suitably journaled on the end 25 of the frame 22 and has an operating crank handle 53 which may be rotated in either direction to raise or lower the core forms relative to the top 23 of the frame 22.

In operation: In order to complete the forming of the cast-in-place gratings shown in FIG. 4, the frame 22 is placed on the recessed ledges 15 with the cam levers 31 positioned as shown in FIG. 7 so that the frame 22 is supported in raised position on the recessed ledges 15 placed around the frame 22 being supported on the recessed ledges 18 with its sides 25 abutting the vertical surfaces 22a of the recessed ledges 18 and its ends lying against the outside faces of the sides 25 of the frame 22. The crank 53 is operated to raise the core forms 37 up through the top 23 of the frame 22 to the position shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. Appropriate concrete material 58 is then poured in the mold box 55 and over the top of the frame top 23 and around the mold forms 37 and screeded off to the height 59.

After the concrete has set up for a short time, until it has stiffened, the crank handle 53 is operated to downwardly withdraw the core forms 37 below the top 23 of the frame 22 to the position shown in FIG. 8a. After the concrete has sufliciently hardened to be self-supporting the frame as a whole is lowered by first pulling on the hitch 36a to move the cam levers to the position shown in FIG. 7a so as to relieve the top surface 23 of the frame 22 from underneath contact with the poured concrete 58.

Further pulling on the hitch 36a, to the left in FIG. 7a, causes the frame 22 to skid along on the recessed ledges 15 longitudinally of the curb members 16 to the next location for repeating the aforementioned grating forming operations.

While the apparatus herein disclosed and described constitutes a preferred form of the invention, it is also to be understood that the apparatus is capable of mechanical alteration without departing from the spirit of the invention and that such mechanical arrangement and commercial adaptation as fall within the scope of the appendent claims are intended to be included herein.

Having thus fully set forth and described this invention what is claimed and desired to be obtained by United States Letters Patent is:

1. An apparatus for constructing cast-in-place floor gratings between supporting curb portions comprising:

(a) a pair of laterally spaced prefabricated curb portions having horizontal upper surfaces, (13) a frame, means movably mounted on said frame and en- 5 gaging said horizontal surfaces of said later-ally spaced parallel curb portions for raising and lowering said frame relative to said curb portions,

(d) a concrete supporting top on said frame to support plastic concrete poured thereon,

(e) means cooperating with said top to define a mold box,

(f) a series of laterally extending core forms vertically movably mounted on said frame including,

(g) means on said frame engaging said core forms for raising and retnacting said core forms above and below said top of said frame, and

(h) said raising and lowering means including hitch means connected to cam means for automatically lowering said frame and longitudinally moving said frame along said curb portions to a new casting location.

2. An apparatus for constructing cast-in-place floor gratings between supporting curb portions as in claim 1 wherein said mold box is demountably supported on said 25 curb portions surrounding the top of said frame during the pouring of concrete on said concrete supporting top on said frame.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,144,692 6/1915 De LaMare 25-l3l.5 1,595,494 8/1926 Barnett 25-415 2,114,785 4/1938 Porter 25-128 3,037,259 6/ 1962 Dave 25-1315 J. SPENCER OVERHOLSER, Primary Examiner.

R. D. BALDWIN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCTION CAST-IN-PLACE FLOOR GRATINGS BETWEEN SUPPORTING CURB PORTIONS COMPRISING: (A) A PAIR OF LATERALLY SPACED PREFABRICATED CURB PORTIONS HAVING HORIZONTAL UPPER SURFACES, (B) A FRAME, (C) MEANS MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME AND ENGAGING SAID HORIZONTAL SURFACES OF SAID LATERALLY SPACED PARALLEL CURB PORTIONS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING SAID FRAME RELATIVE TO SAID CURB PORTIONS, (D) A CONCRETE SUPPORTING TOP ON SAID FRAME TO SUPPORT PLASTIC CONCRETE POURED THEREON, (E) MEANS COOPERATING WITH SAID TOP TO DEFINE A MOLD BOX, (F) A SERIES OF LATERALLY EXTENDING CORE FORMS VERTICALLY MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME INCLUDING, (G) MEANS ON SAID FRAME ENGAGING SAID CORE FORMS FOR RAISING AND RETRACTING SAID CORE FORMS ABOVE AND BELOW SAID TOP OF SAID FRAME, AND (H) SAID RAISING AND LOWERING MEANS INCLUDING HITCH MEANS CONNECTED TO CAM MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY LOWERING SAID FRAME AND LONGITUDINALLY MOVING SAID FRAME ALONG SAID CURB PORTIONS TO A NEW CASTING LOCATION. 